Rack for shipping and storing textile beams

ABSTRACT

A rack construction for shipping and storing groups of empty textile beams in nested and tiered relation comprises a framework of side members and cross members connected thereto. Spacers secured to each of the cross members in pairs form a cradle engageable from below by the heads of a pair of beams of a lower tier and from above by the heads of a pair of beams of a second tier, the spacers defining a minimum separation between the barrels and heads of nested beams in the same tier and in adjacent tiers. The number of beams in a group can be expanded by the use of another rack for each additional tier. Bands applied around the barrels of the beams of the group retain the beams in engagement with the spacers and enable the group to be handled as a unit; and, the rack or racks of one group can be interlocked with those of another group.

[451 May 7,1974

United States Patent [1 1 Shepherd RACK FOR SHIPPING AND STORING Primary Examiner-Frank E. Werner TEXTILE BEAMS Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Farley, Forster & Farley Inventor: William B. Shepherd,

[57] ABSTRACT A rack construction for shipping and storing groups of empty textile beams in nested and tiered relation com- Winston-Salem, N.C.

[73] Assignee: Hayes-Albion Corporation,

' Charlotte, N.C. rises a framework of side members and cross mem- [22] Flled: 1972 bers connected thereto. Spacers secured to each of [21] Appl. No.: 277,169 the cross members in pairs form a cradle engageable from below by the heads of a pair of beams of a lower U S Cl tier and from above by the heads of a pair of beams of a second tier, the spacers defining a minimum separa- 214/105 R, 105/367, 211/13 Int. 865g l/14 2] 4/105 R; tron between the barrels and heads of nested beams in 211/13; 206/65 B [58] Field of Search................ 105/367;

the same tier and in adjacent tiers. The number of beams in a group can be expanded by the use of another rack for each additional tier. Bands applied around the barrels of the beams of the group retain the beams in engagement with the spacers and enable 214/ 10.5 R the group to be handled as a unit; and, the rack or racks of one group can be interlocked with those of another group.

XX 7 R 50 NH 4 2 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,111,234 ll/l963 Bower et 1643.544 9/1927 Cushnyr.....

2,762,514 /[956 McGinn 14 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures RACK FOR SHIPPING AND STORING TEXTILE BEAMS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a rack which positions a group of empty textile beams in nested and tiered relation for shipment or storage.

A testile beam is a relatively large, precision-made spool having a barrel connected to a pair of circular rimmed heads. Such beams have conventionally been individually packaged and handled for shipment from the beam manufacturer to the textile mill, and have been individually handled and stored prior and subsequent to such shipment.

The present invention provides a rack which enables empty textile beams to be shipped and stored in groups rather than individually, and in nested and tiered relation, thereby achieving considerable savings in the handling, the shipping and the storing of such beams. This rack, moreover, is of relatively simple construction capable of being designed for beams of difierent sizes.

Basically, the rack of the invention consists of a framework and spacer means carried thereby in transversely and longitudinally spaced relation to form a cradle engageable from below at chordally spaced locations on the heads of at least one beam of a lower tier, and engageable from above at chordally spaced locations on the heads of at least one beam of an upper tier. Thev beams can be retained in engagement with the spacer means by banding the beam barrels together so that the group can be handled as a unit.

One rack preferably positions a group of at least four empty textile beams in nested and tiered relation, the spacer means of the rack including a pair of center spacers and two pairs of end spacers, each center spacer being overlappingly engageable by the heads of a pair of beams in each of the lower and. upper tiers, and each end spacer being overlappingly engageable by the heads of one beam in each of the lower and upper tiers. Each spacer is provided with a transversely extending central'portion and with a pair of flanges in spaced relation therealong, the spacing between the flanges defining a separation between the heads of the beams engageable with each spacer in a direction axially of the beam barrels. The preferred framework of the rack includes a pair of side rails and aplurality of'cross members connected thereto, each pair of center and end spacers being mounted on the ends of one of the cross members, and the side rails being spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the heads of a beam. Offset portions provided in the side rails at one end of the rack are adapted to be overlapped by the other ends of the side rails of an adjacent'rack with the end spacers of adjacent racks practically abutting, thereby providing a nested relation between the heads of beams of adjacent groups placed in a row.

Other features and advantages of theinvention will appear from the description to follow of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS lation by the racks of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a rack constructed in accordance with the invention; and,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the rack shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, empty textile beams 10-1, etc., each having a barrel 1 1 connected to a pair of heads 12 with circular rims 14, are positioned in nested and tiered relation in groups I and II by racks 16-1, etc..

Each of the racks 16 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2' and 3, and comprises a framework 18 and spacer means 20 carried thereby in transversely and longitudinally spaced relation. The framework 18 includes a pair of longitudinally extending side rails 22 and 23 and a plurality of transversely extending cross members 24, 25 and 26 each connected to the side rails 22 and 23 by clamps 28. The side rails and cross members of the framework may all be constructed of pipe, as shown.

Each of the side rails 22 and 23 is provided at one end 30 thereof with an offset portion 32, the amount of offset being slightly greater than the transverse dimension or diameter of a side rail. Guide means in the form of brackets 34 are attached to the offset portions 32, each bracket 34 having an upstanding side portion 35 with a protruding flared lip 36, and a transverse, outwardly inclined top portion 38. The other end of each side rail 22 and 23 is equipped with a downwardly projecting locking lug 42.

The spacer means 20 includes a pair of center spacers 44 and 45 and two pairs of end spacers 46 and 47.

Each center spacer has a cylindrical, transversely extending central portion 48 and a pair of flanges 49and 50 projecting outwardly from the central portion 48 in spaced relation therealong, the central portion being formed with a bore 51 slidably engaging the cross member 25 and being secured thereto by a pair of set screws 52 or a shear pin of adequate size, for permanent positioning of spacer means 20. Each of the end spacers 46 and 47 is also provided with a transversely extending central portion 54 and with a pair of flanges 56 and 57 projecting outwardly thereof in spaced relation therealong, the spacing between the flanges 56 and 57 corresponding to the spacing between the flanges 49 and .50 on the center spacers 44 and 45. The central portion 54 of each end spacer is formed with a flat side 58 and with a bore 60 so that each end spacer can be slidably mounted on one of the cross members 24 or 26, being secured in position by a pair of set screws 62 or a shear pin of adequate size, for permanent positioning of spacer means 20.

ln'employing the rack 16 for positioning a group of empty textilebeams, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of beams 10-1 and 10-2, with their heads 14 in overlapping nested relation, form a lower tier. A rack 16-1 is then placed on the heads of these beams, the spacer means 20 of the rack being so spaced transversely and longitudinally of the rack framework as to form a cradle engageable from below at chordally spaced locations on the heads of the beam 10-1 and on the heads of the beam 10-2. The central portions of the spacers are engaged by the rims 14 of the beams, and the flanges of the spacers are engaged by radially extending end surfaces 64 on the heads of the beams. As shown in FIG. 2, the radially extending end surfaces on the heads of the beam 10-1 engage the flanges 49 and 50 of the center spacers 44 and 45, respectively, and the flanges 56 and 57 of the pair of end spacers'46 and 47 to the left side of the view, respectively, The nested heads of the beam -2 engage the flanges 50 and 49 of the center spacers 44 and 45, respectively, and the flanges 57 and 56 of the other pair of end spacers 46 and 47, respectively. Thus, the flanges on the center and end spacers define an axial separation between the heads of nested beams engaged therewith.

The spacer means of the rack 16 also form a cradle engageable from above by the heads of beams 10-3 and 10-4 of a second tier, the heads of these beams being nested with each other and also with the heads of the beams 10-1 andv 10-2 of the lower tier.

A second rack 16-2 placed on the heads'of the beams of the second tier, similarly forms a cradle for the heads of a pair of beams 10-5 and 10-6 forming a third tier, and the group of beams may be expanded in number in a'vertical direction as desired by the use of additional racks. While only two beams are shown in each tier, this number can also be obviously expanded according to the length of the rack side rails and the number of pairs of center spacers carried thereby.

When the beams have been so positioned on the racks, means are employed for retaining the group of beams in engagement with the spacer means thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the retainer means includes one or more straps or bands 70 extending in peripheral fashion around the barrels of all beams in the group. This permits a group of beams to be handled as a unit.

Beams forming the group II shown in FIG. 1 are positioned in a similar manner upon racks 16-3 and 16-4 and are bound into a unit by a retaining strap 70. Groups II can then be moved as a unit to place the heads of vertically aligned beams at one 'end of the group in nested relation with the heads of vertically aligned beams at one end of group I, and with the racks 16-3 and 16-4 of group IIinterlocked with the racks l6 and 16-2 of group I. This is accomplished by slightly elevating and moving group II endwise to place the ends 40 of the racks thereof within the guides 34 on the ends 30. of the racks of group I, and lowering group II to overlap the lugs 42 with the cross members 26 of the racks of group I. The cross members 26 are thus interlocked between the lugs 42 and the cross members 24 of the group II racks.

The ability to nest beams horizontally and vertically and to handle a group of beams as a unit results in readily apparent savings in handling, shipping and storage costs.

I claim:

1. A rack for positioning a group of textile beams in nested and tiered relation, each beam having a barrel connected to a pair of circular rimmed heads comprising a framework; and,

. spacer means carried by the framework in transversely and longitudinally spaced relation to form 2. A rack according to claim 1 further comprising means for retaining the group of beams in engagement with the spacer means.

3. A rack according to claim 2 wherein the retaining means comprises at least one band engageable with the barrels of the beams of the group.

4. A rack according to claim 1 wherein the spacer means includes a plurality of spacer members, each spacer member having a central portion engageable by the rim of the head of a beam, and having a pair of spaced flanges, each flange being engageable by a radially extending surface on the head of a beam, the flanges being so spaced as to define an axial separation between the heads of nested beams.

5. A rack according to claim 1 wherein the spacer means includes two pairs of end spacers and at least a pair of center spacers, each center spacer being overlappingly engageable by the heads .of a pair of beams in each of the lower and upper tiers, and each end spacer being overlappingly engageable by the head of one beam in each of the lower and upper tiers.

6. A rack according to claim 5 wherein each spacer is provided with a central portion and with a pair of a cradle engageable from below at chordally spaced locationson each of the heads of at least i one beam of a lower tier and engageable from above at chordally spaced locations on each of the heads of at least one beam of an upper tier placed in nested relation with the heads of the one beam of the lower tier.

flanges in spaced relation therealong, the spacing defining a separation between the heads of the beams engageable with each spacer in a direction axially of the beam barrels. v

7. A rack construction according to claim 5 wherein the framework includes a pair of side rails and a plurality of cross members connected thereto, each pair of center and end spacers being mounted on one of the cross members.

8. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the cross member on which each pair of center and end spacers is mounted is a cylindrical tube, the spacer members being provided with bores slidably engageable therewith, and means for securing each spacer member to the cross member on which it is mounted.

9. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the side rails are spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the heads of a beam.

10. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the side rails are each provided with an offset portion at one end thereof, adapted to be overlapped by the other end of one of the side rails of an adjacent rack.

11. A rack construction according to claim 10 further including guide means on the offset portions adapted to guide the other ends of the side rails of an adjacent rack into overlapping position.

12. A rack construction according to claim 10 further including a locking lug on the other ends of the side rails adapted to engage a cross member of an adjacent rack. I

13. A rack for positioning a group of textile beams in nested relation, each beam having a barrel connected to a pair of circular rimmed heads, comprising:

a framework; and,

spacer means carried by the framework including a plurality of transversely spaced pairs of spacer members arranged on the framework with a longi-- 6, the heads of a pair of beams placed in nested relagageable by the heads of the pair of beams placed in nonshlp' nested relationship, and each end spacer being engage- 14. A rack according to claim 13 wherein the spacer means includes two pairs of end spacers and at least one pair of center spacers, each center spacer being en- 5 able by the head of one beam. 

1. A rack for positioning a group of textile beams in nested and tiered relation, each beam having a barrel connected to a pair of circular rimmed heads comprising a framework; and, spacer means carried by the framework in transversely and longitudinally spaced relation to form a cradle engageable from below at chordally spaced locations on each of the heads of at least one beam of a lower tier and engageable from above at chordally spaced locations on each of the heads of at least one beam of an upper tier placed in nested relation with the heads of the one beam of the lower tier.
 2. A rack according to claim 1 further comprising means for retaining the group of beams in engagement with the spacer means.
 3. A rack according to claim 2 wherein the retaining means comprises at least one band engageable with the barrels of the beams of the group.
 4. A rack according to claim 1 wherein the spacer means includes a plurality of spacer members, each spacer member having a central portion engageable by the rim of the head of a beam, and having a pair of spaced flanges, each flange being engageable by a radially extending surface on the head of a beam, the flanges being so spaced as to define an axial separation between the heads of nested beams.
 5. A rack according to claim 1 wherein the spacer means includes two pairs of end spacers and at least a pair of center spacers, each center spacer being overlappingly engageable by the Heads of a pair of beams in each of the lower and upper tiers, and each end spacer being overlappingly engageable by the head of one beam in each of the lower and upper tiers.
 6. A rack according to claim 5 wherein each spacer is provided with a central portion and with a pair of flanges in spaced relation therealong, the spacing defining a separation between the heads of the beams engageable with each spacer in a direction axially of the beam barrels.
 7. A rack construction according to claim 5 wherein the framework includes a pair of side rails and a plurality of cross members connected thereto, each pair of center and end spacers being mounted on one of the cross members.
 8. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the cross member on which each pair of center and end spacers is mounted is a cylindrical tube, the spacer members being provided with bores slidably engageable therewith, and means for securing each spacer member to the cross member on which it is mounted.
 9. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the side rails are spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the heads of a beam.
 10. A rack construction according to claim 7 wherein the side rails are each provided with an offset portion at one end thereof, adapted to be overlapped by the other end of one of the side rails of an adjacent rack.
 11. A rack construction according to claim 10 further including guide means on the offset portions adapted to guide the other ends of the side rails of an adjacent rack into overlapping position.
 12. A rack construction according to claim 10 further including a locking lug on the other ends of the side rails adapted to engage a cross member of an adjacent rack.
 13. A rack for positioning a group of textile beams in nested relation, each beam having a barrel connected to a pair of circular rimmed heads, comprising: a framework; and, spacer means carried by the framework including a plurality of transversely spaced pairs of spacer members arranged on the framework with a longitudinal separation between adjacent pairs such that the spacer members of such adjacent pairs are engageable by the heads of a beam at chordally spaced locations on the rims thereof, at least one pair of the spacer members being engageable by the heads of a pair of beams placed in nested relationship.
 14. A rack according to claim 13 wherein the spacer means includes two pairs of end spacers and at least one pair of center spacers, each center spacer being engageable by the heads of the pair of beams placed in nested relationship, and each end spacer being engageable by the head of one beam. 